COVID-19 CRISIS

Gov't eyes 5 more modular hospitals by June

The government seeks to put up five more modular hospitals across the country by June, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Friday.

In a taped message during a briefing, Duque said the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) “aim to complete five more modular hospitals in NCR, Batangas, and Davao by June this year.”

“This week, more than six new TTMFs (temporary treatment and monitoring facilities) and isolation facilities with over 1,700 beds in NCR and nearby provinces will be open and running,” he added.

Duque said this was part of continuing efforts to address “the most pressing concern” of “countless reports of overflowing hospitals in the midst of surging cases.”

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire also said that aside from the modular hospitals and tents that have been put up, the National Center for Mental Health has also been designated as a 1,000-bed COVID-19 facility for moderate cases. 

Health workers

Meanwhile, the DOH also said “more [health workers] are expected to be redeployed” to NCR Plus or Metro Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna and Rizal.

Over 100 health workers were already deployed to augment manpower in NCR Plus. 

Two hospital groups previously said hospital capacity is not as big a problem as the shortage of manpower, pointing out that the lack of health workers hobbles their capability to attend to more patients. 

The DOH said it has enough funds to hire more health workers but the number of applicants remains low. 

The Philippines has 904,285 COVID-19 cases with 705,164 recoveries and 15,594 deaths as of Thursday afternoon. —KBK, GMA News